tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Sept 29, 2013 10:49:04 GMT -5
I have a QT66 and two 33B's. My issue is with one of the 33B's.... A little background. I got the first 33B as a Christmas present and immediately ordered extra barrels for each stage. Wanting to increase my tumbling capacity I bought a second 33B. The first one would quickly wear out belts and quite quickly would only run at or near full adjustment. When I got my second one I assumed that running at full adjustment was the norm and set it up that way. It did not take long before the motor bearing/bushing went bad and I had to replace the motor. Since then it has been running with the same belt and has only needed slight adjustments in almost two years and is still nowhere near full adjustment. The bearing/bushing in the first motor began to go bad. I kept it going by oiling the bearing and adding some tubing to the rollers to get the barrels to turn fast enough. Having had enough of that I broke down and bought a new motor. When I replaced the motor I gave the tumbler a good cleaning and replaced the roller bushings. For the first 5 days it ran great, then began to slow down so I adjusted the belt. Another 5 days and another belt adjustment. Five more days and I'm close to max adjust and I fear I'll be burning up motor bearings again. After about a month I'm replacing the belt already. I decide that the only thing left to cause the problem is the roller drive pulley so I buy one and change it out. It still runs slightly slower than the one that runs good with a new motor and new drive pulley. I just don't get it. Any ideas about what's going on here? I'm at a loss.......
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Thunder69
Cave Dweller
Thunder 2000-2015
Member since January 2009
Posts: 3,102
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Post by Thunder69 on Sept 29, 2013 14:04:25 GMT -5
Could it be the rollers them self....That's about the only thing left...JOhn
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mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Oct 2, 2013 23:46:42 GMT -5
tk, permit me to save you a lot of grief. I cannot tell you how many of the small Lortone units I have burned through, almost to the point of giving up on the hobby completely. Belts, rollers, those chintzy tiny fractional hp motors. I personally think they are junk. I was guilty of trying to do tumbling on the cheap. I run my larger Lortone 24/7. That machine literally runs every minute of the day for nine consecutive months, then I spend the summer in Montana selling my stuff. Use this criteria for your next tumbler- get one with a minimum 1/3 hp REAL motor on it. A motor that size will use a real belt, not a glorified o-ring. You will end up with a larger barrel, of course, but you will spend a lot more time working stones and little if any time cussing your tumbler.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Oct 3, 2013 10:39:54 GMT -5
With any luck I think I found the problem. Can't believe I didn't notice it before now. It appears that the lower cover plate for the motor compartment had a kink/bend in it. The bend was upward into the compartment near the drive pulley. I think that the belt was slightly rubbing against the plate as it deflected. Could explain the premature belt wear. Next couple weeks will tell I suppose........
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,165
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Post by jamesp on Oct 3, 2013 18:16:49 GMT -5
I have some knowledge on product liability . After i bought my first over the counter i never bought another. I bet the product liability insurance for selling an A-belt(automotive size) type drive must be high. Automotive v-belts are cheap and mass produced. It's all i can figure. They all use vacumn cleaner belts. I have a 1/6 HP tumbler. It is an industrial A/C fan motor. It has an automotive v-belt. It uses 1 inch solid shafts. It has 1 inch pillar block bearings w/grease fittings. It has run for 10 years outside and gets cleaned w/water hose. But if you stick your hand in it you will be going to the doctor. Having a nip point that dangerous in the average household will certainly be scrutinized by underwriters. It has to be. And it is running so many hours presenting itself as threat constantly. This took little time and little money and is all industrial. Have put 50 pound barrels on it for months at a time. It is terribly dangerous w/out a guard. But that is fixable.
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kaldorlon
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2013
Posts: 413
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Post by kaldorlon on Oct 3, 2013 20:08:22 GMT -5
Very nice, but I don't think my better half would approve of this in the apartment. LOL
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,165
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Post by jamesp on Oct 3, 2013 20:33:19 GMT -5
Tumblers are not for small spaces. Welcome to the forum.
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Post by johnjsgems on Oct 4, 2013 11:26:00 GMT -5
Order a Thumler's Tumbler belt (all A and B models). They fit the Lortone and made of tougher stuff. Or were back when I was a Thumler's dealer.
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nctumbler
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2013
Posts: 3
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Post by nctumbler on Oct 11, 2013 13:08:27 GMT -5
Is it still under the 1 year warranty? If so, return it and get a refund or let Lortone sort out the issues. Consider upgrading to a Thumler's tumbler like a AR-2, no belt adjustments and superior design IMHO. They last forever with minimal maintenance.
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